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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23402827">isolation</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/jackolo/pseuds/jackolo'>jackolo</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The kingdom of darkness [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Merlin (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fighting, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 06:34:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,209</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23402827</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/jackolo/pseuds/jackolo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A prequel to Sacrifice but can be read as a stand alone (bonus scene at the end for those who did)</p><p> <br/>Merlin travels through the realm of darkness as he begins to loose hope as the darkness takes over</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The kingdom of darkness [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1683424</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>isolation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi again, as some of you may know sacrifice is based of Aqua from kingdom hearts therefore with suddenly a lot of time on my hands i thought why not write another one </p><p>please leave a comment and let me know what you think of it</p><p>enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Merlin awoke on the ground, disorientated he began to sit up temporarily forgetting the last few events that had just happened, Agravaine had tried to send him, Arthur and Morgana to the realm of darkness and to save them, he sacrificed himself.</p><p>He fully rose to his feet surveying the world around him. This world was nothing like anywhere he’d seen before. The rocks had an unnatural purple stream through them that look almost like veins. He was on a rock bridge so with no idea where either way went he turned and began walking in that direction </p><p>——————————————————————————————————————————</p><p>Merlin walked for what must of been miles but strangely showed no signs of fatigue, hunger or thirst. This time gave Merlin time to recount everything that had happened, he was right Agravaine was corrupting Arthur and that prat had ignored him. Merlin knew that wasn’t fair, after all Arthur was being made to not see it, but with no one here Merlin could think what he liked</p><p>Merlin was suddenly brought out of his day dreams when a loud groan was made from up ahead as he watched small black creatures, no bigger than a toddler, began to crawl out from a pitch black puddle </p><p>From somewhere within, blame the magic he thought, a voice warn him “Heartless, protect yourself” Merlin summoned his sword and with a flash of light it appeared In his hand “Good to see something still work” before he begins his attack</p><p>He slashed at the first heartless as it put up no resistance to his sword as he watched it evaporate into a dark mist </p><p>——————————————————————————————————————————-</p><p>The last heartless evaporated as merlin finished it with a final downward slash. Merlin sent the sword back into the light and once again took in where he was, on an incline of a hill “no where left to go but up” he muttered as he followed the hill to its apex</p><p>This simple act that should have took mere minutes felt like lifetimes had passed before he reach the top</p><p>Once he reached the peak he saw a horrific sight. There with mist at her base stood Camelot Castle on the horizon. She was illuminated in an unearthly purple Hue as she stood out of the surrounding darkness like a beacon </p><p>‘That can’t be, its not possible unless, it had also fallen to darkness along with him’ Merlin thought</p><p>No this can’t be his Camelot there are no large hills like the one he was standing on and there, in the distance he saw floating islands, definitely not there in his world </p><p>A clear path now set he began to descend into the forrest surrounding the castle he calls home.</p><p>———————————————————————————————————————- ——- </p><p>He walked the path towards the entrance of the lower town with no one with him but his own mind to keep company.</p><p>‘There is no time in this dark world for I have not once felt fatigue or hunger. I walk on and on, with each step do months or years pass in the realm of light?’ These thoughts consumed him as he got closer to the lower town.</p><p>More heartless sprung up as he neared the gate as merlin summed his sword and attack </p><p>He lunged with his sword as the heartless evaporated with his strike, he thanked Arthur for teaching him that technique every time he used it </p><p>Before summoning orbs of light that surrounded him and spun up making every heartless around him fall </p><p>A second wave appeared and Merlin summoned his shield that surrounded him in a hexagonal bubble that once it had absorbed the energy from their attack, Merlin sent it back at them as a small cloud of mist came from their evaporating bodies </p><p>With a clear path Merlin entered into the lower town </p><p>He walked past house after house, with all of them looking frozen in time, he saw clothes drying out of the windows, meals set on the table ready to eat, fires burning in the middles of fireplaces, the market stalls full of goods ready to be sold. It was like someone took away the people and froze it in time.</p><p>‘I haven’t felt any emotion in such a long time here, but this place makes it all fresh again. I took it all for granted, I though I had nothing to loose’ </p><p>Memories of the people he loved came flooding back to him, sitting with Gauis having a meal laughing about whatever situation he’d been able to get out of that week, speaking with Morgana over tea as he filled her in on how she could use her magic, walking with Gwen through the castle chatting as they did the jobs they needed, and Arthur shamed to admit it but next to all the memories were of him, how he looked asleep, the way he sounded when he was truly happy, the concern he saw on rare occasion towards him and the way he felt when he realised his feelings towards him. But this place showed how far away from that he truly was</p><p>‘The Grief in this place is too much to fathom, as there is no greater sadness to know that everything you knew has gone’</p><p>“Real cheery Merlin” he muttered to himself has he walked deeper into the town towards the citadel </p><p>——————————————————————————————————————————-</p><p>As he reached the base of the castle he walked through the main gate into the courtyard where there stood the main steps </p><p>‘what I wouldn’t give to go on one more hunt with him’</p><p>“this has to stop, I’m wishing for the past again” merlin scolded him self as his memories swarmed him</p><p>“Merlin” a voice from behind said</p><p>Merlin spun around at once</p><p>As he watched Arthur walking down the stairs towards him. He ran to the bottom to meet him</p><p>“It can’t be. What are you doing here? Please tell me you made it it out” </p><p>Arthur stood there at the bottom of the steps with a slight smile not answering him </p><p>“Why won’t you answer me, Arthur?” Merlin went to grab Arthurs hand as his went through it instead as Arthurs hand glowed gold</p><p>Merlin sighed bringing his own hands together “what are you? A memory lost in these shadows? Are you here to try and tell me not to loose my way?<br/>
As he finished speaking Arthur vanished and left a trail of gold dust in the air behind him</p><p>Merlin began to climb the steps ‘At least they’re not here. so, they haven’t fallen to darkness. I’ll take what solace I can from that.’ He opened the door but instead of being in the entrance hallway he stood in the the throne room. A large circular mirror replaced the thrones.</p><p>Merlin approached the mirror and pressed his hand onto it looking at his reflection before the reflection pulled him into the mirror </p><p>——————————————————————————————————————————-</p><p>Merlin stumbled into a new room where there once again was no one. The room was castle like but defiantly not in Camelot castle. There were many stone arches with identical mirrors as the one he was pulled through, however parts of the room were broken and he was able to see into the void that is the realm of darkness </p><p>“wait none of these mirrors have reflections” he said to no one but himself. All the mirrors were dark and showed no reflection except for one which showed another room </p><p>As Merlin approached the mirror he walked straight through into another room. He now stood in a fighting pit as seated steps surrounded the high wall that ran around the perimeter of the pit.</p><p>On one side there was another mirror which showed only is reflection. He walked towards it staring at him self </p><p>“Is this what it means to face your demons?” </p><p>The mirror began to glow and gave him an answer “only you are hollow enough to be a demon’</p><p>His reflection stepped out of the mirror, Merlin jumped back summoning his sword as he watched his reflection do the same </p><p>“Thats not true” He shouted before there fight begun</p><p>——————————————————————————————————————————-</p><p>Merlin watched as his phantom dashed towards him, reflectively he used his shield to block the attacks he watched as one hit another spawned in its place attacking again before it disappeared after the final slash </p><p>‘So it can teleport and there’s more then one’ he thought as multiple phantoms appeared walking around him </p><p>“You lied to him for years”<br/>
“they’ll never forgive you”<br/>
“Magic will destroy the world”<br/>
“You deserve to be here”<br/>
“isolation suits you”<br/>
“No one will save you”<br/>
“Why are you fighting the darkness”</p><p>He watched as they all at once disappeared before he heard another voice from within ‘Their surrounding you’ Merlin summoned his shield as phantoms appeared in a circle around him as they lunged towards him however Merlin sent the energy back towards them as all but one disappeared. Merlin threw a flurry of slashed at it before he fished it with one final downward slash.</p><p> </p><p>Merlin turned towards the mirror again “Even my own shadow wants to destroy me now” He watched as the mirror began to crack before it exploded into a bright light.</p><p>———————————————————————————————————————————</p><p>Large trees now towered around merlin as he stood in yet another forrest, however this one was not familiar as he stood in a small Vally as the trees stood on the sides giving Merlin only one path to go down</p><p>‘How many more endless paths must I take before this is over’</p><p>As he walked down this path until ahead of him he saw Arthur and Morgana walking in the same direction he was </p><p>Merlin sprinted towards them ‘Are they even real? It doesn’t matter I miss them’</p><p>Once again just as neared they vanished leaving gold dust behind them. He then watched huge vines appear covered in thorns as they blocked the path ahead</p><p>“GET OUT OF MY WAY” he shouted as his sword materialised and he cut through them </p><p>Running ahead he saw what he thought was them take the next right ahead of a small clearing. Once he reached said clearing a huge heartless stood like a titan above him</p><p>“You think you can stop me reaching them?” Merlin shouted towards the heartless before he ran at it.</p><p>Merlin tried something he’d never been able to practice back in Camelot, he used his magic to levitate his sword and made it follow the motion of his hand to strike. Merlin was able to cut the legs of the titan as it fell to its knees</p><p>Something instinctual made merlin begin to spin as he felt his magic crystallise above him. While he spun the temperature dropped so low that the air its self began to freeze as the crystal above merlin formed. He shoved his sword up into it causing it to explode as he, along with the titan heartless fell to the floor motionless </p><p>———————————————————————————————————————————</p><p>When Merlin came to again he was falling in the void once again lost with no longer any purpose to continue </p><p>‘Im so sorry Arthur, for everything. One day I hope you’ll be able to forgive the things I’ve done and that you’ll remember me with fond memories’</p><p>Merlin once again watched the light fade from the world around him and from him self as he closed his eyes and fell into darknesses embrace </p><p>———————————————————————————————————————————</p><p>The first thing he saw were the blinding sun as it crested the horizon leaving streaks of orange in the blue morning sky. As he sat up the second thing he saw were the trees slowly waving in the wind and he knew where he was.The third thing he saw was Arthur again as he lent into his vision </p><p>“This is is the Valley of the fallen kings.” </p><p>“Yes it is.”</p><p>“why is it in the realm of darkness?” He asked without realising he heard a reply </p><p>“Merlin your in the realm of light” This time the dots connected as he spun to Arthur  “Wait, your, It's really you Arthur?”</p><p>———————————————————————————————————————————<br/>
1 week later</p><p> </p><p>Merlin wondered around the castle, which had become a bit of a habit for him he’d find somewhere with a view and sit there for hours and simply watch the world go by. He found this helped to calm him down and ground him back to the world</p><p>After some time Arthur would find him and they’d share the night together vowing never to leave one another’s side again</p><p>One night, as Merlin sat upon one of Camelot’s highest towers Arthur joined him, bringing blankets and hot food where they sat and watched the sky turn from red streaks to shining stars. They huddled in a small watch cove in the tower as they wrapped the blankets around them and sat shoulder to shoulder </p><p>“Merlin, I’ve told you how much you mean to me and how I can’t live with out you, I’ve wanted to do this but have had no idea on how to ask. So will you do me the honour of marrying me?”</p><p>Merlin turned to him “yes. I’ll be yours for all of time”</p><p>Arthur took out a ring he slid the ring onto merlins finger. “now we’ll be each others for all of time” as they kissed.</p>
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